News Article

Portugal keen to adapt to polluted Delhi, Coppell confident of first win

Both teams have been short of goals and will look to make the most of any opportunities on Wednesday.

Delhi Dynamos FC take on Jamshedpur FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday. The Lions have found themselves in a poor run of form, having lost back-to-back matches, the last one being a 2-0 setback against NorthEast United FC at home. They would want to get their campaign back on track when they host a team that is yet to score or concede. Speaking to the media during the pre-match press conference was Delhi coach Miguel Angel Portugal.

The capital city has been in the news lately for its weather conditions, and especially for the pollution levels. Portugal was quick to point out that while it was an issue, his players continued with their training regimen to prepare for their next fixture.

“It (the pollution) is a problem for everyone, not only the players,” the coach admitted. “I think it’s a very big problem but it’s important that we play here. We trained with masks. Even people should use the masks.”

Portugal also revealed that Sena Ralte will not be available for the next match, but hinted that some of the players could make a return.

“We play in a very short time so it’s possible that some players could be back,” he said.He also shed light on what had been going wrong with his team so far and how he planned to resolve it.

“It (the problem) is not only in defence,” he stated. “I think in the previous games, three or four times we made mistake in attack and we didn’t have a goal. We see the goal but do not score a goal. That is a problem. It is unique what one goal means. In the match, I want my players to score goals. The best philosophy is to score goals.”

To get three clean sheets consecutively is a big achievement: Steve Coppell

One of the league’s debutants, Jamshedpur, has so far achieved the unique feat of playing out three consecutive goalless draws. They would be in search of their first ever ISL goal and a first win as well when they take on a stuttering Delhi side. Speaking to the media ahead of the match was Jamshedpur’s gaffer, Steve Coppell.

The Englishman did not seem concerned that his team had not scored in the previous three matches. Rather, he took the positives from the results so far.

“I think to get three clean sheets consecutively is a big achievement,” he stated. “Obviously, we want to score, and we are trying to score. But we are playing against good, quality sides who have a lot more ISL experience than we do.”

He was also quick to praise the commitment of the Indian players in his squad.

“All the Indian players are very committed and desperate to improve their game. So, I love working with the players we have,” he said.

Delhi Dynamos may have fallen into a poor run of form after a promising start to their campaign, but Coppell was anything but dismissive of the hosts.

“Delhi Dynamos are a very fluent side. They pass the ball and they probably have more possession in the games. They are very pleasing to the eye and they are nice to watch,” he acknowledged before signing off.